#4 Forging partnerships
Mark Taylor was one of the most prolific opening batsmen in his time, as well as a great slip fielder for Australia. Steve Waugh was a solid middle order batsman and a part time bowler. The partnership between the Waugh twins was very crucial for the Aussies in the middle order.
They amassed 3,435 runs in 73 matches with nine 100+ runs and nineteen 50+ runs partnerships. In the matches that Australia won, their partnership averaged 66.84. The Waugh brothers also hold a unique record for most number of matches together for Australia, playing 108 matches together.
The base of this partnership, on most occasions, was the strong start given by openers Mark Taylor and Michael Slater. This partnership is the third highest in the history of Australian Test cricket with 3887 runs in 78 matches with an average of 51.14, only behind the likes of Hayden-Langer and Hayden-Ponting.
For Taylor, his most prolific partnership was with Ian Healy, with whom he played 103 times in baggy green.
The Taylor-Warne duo has also been exceptional for team Australia. Taylor, the safe catcher, was always on hand to pouch balls that came his way off the bowling of Warne. This pair snatched 51 victims which is highest for an Australian bowler-fielder combination and is the overall third highest behind Murli-Jayawardene and Kumble-Dravid.
Taylor is the third Australian with more than 150 catches in Test matches only behind Ricky Ponting and Mark Waugh.
